Buying outdoor furniture online can be convenient and fast, but also dangerous if you run into scammers. This can lead to the loss of money, personal information, or even identity theft. To avoid such problems, you need to take a few precautions when choosing a seller and buying garden furniture, swimming pool furniture, or bar furniture online.
And try to only buy garden furniture from companies you know, like https://www.parasoldubai.com/garden-benches/.
Check the reliability of the seller
Before making a purchase, make sure the seller is reliable. Check the seller's reputation on sites like Trustpilot or Google Reviews. Pay attention to customer reviews, especially negative ones, which may indicate issues with product quality, shipping, or customer service.
It's also a good idea to check the seller's website for contact details like an address, phone number, and email address. Call or email the seller for questions or details and check how quickly and professionally they respond.
Read the terms of purchase and delivery
Before making a purchase, make sure you understand the terms of purchase and delivery. View product pricing, taxes, shipping, and possible additional costs.
Also, pay attention to delivery times and payment methods. Please make sure that you can choose a convenient payment method and that delivery times meet your requirements.
Explore the product
Before you buy garden furniture, study the product description and photos on the seller's website. Please make sure the description matches what you are looking for and that the photos are actual product photos.
Also check that the dimensions, materials, and characteristics of the goods meet your requirements. If you have questions or doubts, please contact the seller to clarify the details.
Review the return policy
Please read the seller's return policy before making a purchase. Make sure you can return the item if it doesn't meet your requirements or arrives in a damaged condition. Find out what return and exchange conditions the seller accepts, and what terms apply for returning the goods.
Also, make sure you understand who will cover the cost of returning the item and how they will be reimbursed. Please be aware that some sellers may require a return shipping fee or charge you a cancellation fee.
Be careful when using public Wi-Fi networks
If you are buying garden furniture online on a public Wi-Fi network, be careful. Public Wi-Fi networks can be insecure, so avoid entering personal information like credit card numbers or passwords. It is best to use your own Wi-Fi network or VPN service to safeguard your private information and lower the chance of fraud.
Use secure payment methods
When buying garden furniture online, use secure payment methods such as PayPal or credit cards. These methods allow you to protect your personal information and provide a refund in case of problems with the delivery or quality of the goods.
Be careful of offers that seem too good to be true
If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. Be wary of offers that promise too big discounts or free shipping. This could be a sign of a scam. Read the terms of the offer carefully to make sure it meets your requirements and doesn't hide any hidden costs or conditions.
Use secure passwords
When registering on the seller's website, use secure passwords consisting of various symbols, numbers, and letters. Do not use simple passwords such as "123456" or "password" which can be easily guessed by scammers.
Also, don't use the same password on all sites. If scammers learn your password on one site, they can access your personal data on other sites where you use the same password.
Pay attention to reviews and seller ratings
Before buying garden furniture online, pay attention to the reviews and ratings of the seller. Read the reviews of other buyers to find out their experience with the seller and the quality of the goods.
Also, pay attention to the seller's rating on sites like eBay or Amazon. Highly rated sellers are usually reliable and have positive feedback from their customers.
Do not disclose personal information
Never disclose your private information, such as credit card numbers, passport information, or social security numbers, without making sure the site is safe and secure.
Also, be careful when filling out the shipping information. Make sure you provide the correct address and contact details to avoid delivery errors or product loss.
Conclusion
Buying garden furniture online can be a convenient and easy way to get a quality item at a bargain price. However, you need to be careful and follow simple rules to avoid fraud and get the desired result.
Online Threat Alerts Security Tips
Pay the safest way
Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.
Guard your personal information
In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.
Be careful of the information you share
Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with
Know who you’re dealing with
Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.
Check your accounts
Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.
Don’t believe promises of easy money
If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.
Do not open email from people you don’t know
If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.
Think before you click
If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.
Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond
If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.
Be careful with links and new website addresses
Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.
Secure your personal information
Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.
Stay informed on the latest cyber threats
Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.
Use Strong Passwords
Strong passwords are critical to online security.
Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs
Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.
Update the operating systems on your electronic devices
Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.
What if You Got Scammed?
Stop Contact With The Scammer
Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.
Secure Your Finances
- Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
- Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:
- Equifax
- Experian
- TransUnion
Check Your Computer
If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.
Change Your Account Passwords
Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.
Report The Scam
Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.
Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:
- Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
- Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
- Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.
How To Recognize a Phishing Scam
Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.
Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:
Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might
- say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
- claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
- say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
- include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
- want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
- say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
- offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real
About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)
Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.
By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.
With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.
Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.
Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).